If you have been thinking that creating a blog would be fun, and maybe even profitable, but you just don’t know where to start, I can help. Setting up your new blog is not difficult at all, even if you are an absolute beginner. The simple steps to take can be learned and completed by most people in a few hour’s time.
Here are some key points you need to keep in mind before you jump in feet first:
1. The first thing you’ll want to give some thought to is what will be the topic of your blog? Are you going to share some of your expertise on one of your hobbies? Are you going to use your blog as a way to keep in touch with family and friends? Or are you going to use your blog to build an online business? This step is crucial in determining several other factors related to your blog.
If, on the other hand, your blog is going to be for business, and you are setting it up with the sole purpose of making an income online then you need to invest in a domain name and hosting account. Think of it like this: you wouldn’t open a fast-food franchise in someone else’s building, would you? You would at least need to have a contract stating that you were renting the space, and therefore you could control, to a degree, what you did with that space. The internet is no different. When you own your domain name, and you have your blog hosted it’s the same as owning some real estate online. This is important for the long-term success of your business, this is also the biggest mistake many newbies make.
2. The second most important thing you need to consider, especially if you’re setting up a business, is to choose the topic of your blog. This topic, or niche, will largely determine whether or not you succeed online. Too many people just jump into a niche because they like it without having spent time researching whether or not it’s a viable market for them to make money in.
3. And last, pick the theme that you want for your blog. You can find hundreds of themes for free. Just pick a style that works for the subject of your blog. If you are building a business blog you may also want to install some plugins that will increase the functionality of your blog. A plugin is similar in concept to an app for a smartphone, it’s just a small software program that will enable you to do more things with your blog. There are thousands of plugins available and most of them are free.
These tips will help you when you are creating a blog, no matter what type of blog you are putting together. Most of all, enjoy yourself, blogging really is fun.
